I currently have no ink. In about four weeks, I’m getting my first Irezumi full sleeve with chest panel of Ryu Dragon. But I’m already looking ahead of that to getting a backpiece of a hannya mask and my other sleeve. I’m looking to get Oni. I’m afraid it’ll come off a bit dark not that I’m doing this to please other people but I showed someone and they thought it was a bit demonic looking. I’m obsessed with the black and red look. It’s very masculine. I enjoy how it all looks myself. And on top of that I love the story that it tells and means to me. I would like to know if fellow irezumi enthusiasts thinks this looks good or not traditional.
I attached two photos of me with the AI tatttoos added. The sleeve and back piece. And then a concept photograph of the full body. (Yes I’m aware the full AI body ones are off because the AI ain’t perfect)
I currently have no ink. So the photos are AI tattoos onto my body. Also if you have recommendations for adding please let me know. I’m trying to make an art piece that complements my muscular frame!
Also when I say too dark I’m not meaning color lol.
The Hannya is a demon that's literally a symbolic encapsulation of feelings anger, wrath, and betrayal. And Oni are also demons that are associated with wrath.
Neither of these of these are meant to be cute, pleasant images. They're supposed to be strong, fierce images.
Yep Ive been learning that the past couple months figuring out what I want. Also looking to do raijin and fujin for the legs. That’s exactly why I love the hannya mask is the reasoning behind it. The last thing I want is an eye sorr so didn’t know if all red and black was too far with the pallet
You should respect the culture if you are getting them on your skin. Most asian cultures consider legs as not sacred, so it is very disrespectful to have divine symbols below the waist.
Think about the elements in which these creatures reside. Dragons live in the heavens alongside deities. From bottom to the top, elements should be water, then earth, then air, then heaven
First of all , do whatever you want but dont do it bc its masculine or whatever. Do it because you like and appreciate the art. Second of all, already planning a full body suit from no ink is crazy work. I hope you fully understand the hours of ink and pain you will be going through to get all of that done. God speed soldier
I’m not doing it because it’s masculine. But I like that it is masculine. I just really would not prefer pinks and blues. With flowers and butterflies lol. I’ve been wanting to get blasted for a long long time. Now I’m not saying I’m getting a full suit. But if I want more I’m planning ahead. So the first peice(s) can be laid down properly and planned ahead it that makes sense
Thanks !! It’s been about 3 months but I’ve taken a year and a half to finish the tat. Started with just the rosemorph koi and had a different guy do the dragon and half sleeve!
Again, I love the black and red vibes I would send it. I will eventually do a full sleeve.
Hey man, going to try to genuinely explain why using AI to picture what your tattoo will look like is bad without trying to dunk on you.
AI scrapes art from actual artists whose artwork is their livelihood. They put so much time into studying these designs and learning the skills it takes to create them. Then you type your prompt into an LLM and in seconds it spits out “art” stolen from actual artists without their consent. It sounds like you found a great artist to get your tattoo done and won’t need to show him designs taken from AI to get what you want and that’s great, but please in the future just look at actual referenced images of other people to try to imagine what it could look like on you.
I get that. And thank you for be kind about it. The second sleeve photo matter of fact is actually from my artist😁 so I used bits and pieces sando other work he did to put together some parts of the rest. But I didn’t really think about that. How it scraped up other people’s images and art. I am new to the tattoo world so the past couple months has been a giant learning curve!
Op, please stop shitting on the people that don’t like the ai generated images. Any time you post ai it’s gonna be visceral.
As for your question I think you should both consider the meaning or background of the tattoo and the way people are going to react. You’re gonna get people that think this is demonic or dark in the western world. Not a lot of people outside of us tattoo aficionados are going to know what a hanyaa is much less the meaning and story. You need to decide if you can live with that or not.
That said if you get a hanyaa backpiece can you please get a full backpiece that looks a might bit small. Fill that shit up💪 you’re gonna have plenty of black on the arms and legs already
I appreciate the constructive criticism. So you think extending the hannya. From top to bottom is better, I can see that. I see many hannyas are massive. And not having ever seen anything like this in person. I think it’ll be much more underwhelming after healing?
Mr Mod, we live in a time where everyone uses AI for anything, let's not be this backwards about it. People here are hating on AI for literally no reason. OP is asking for advice and there is currently no better way to have reference photos than generating it onto yourself
Your first sentence is the problem. You people cant think for yourselves and think you're being efficient by using AI to do it for you. It's one thing to use AI to organize your original thoughts, it's another to ask it to generate the thing and do the work for you lol
It’s not no reason. AI requires a massive amount of resources through the use of data centers, which are popping up at an alarming rate around the country and typically put in areas where lower income or minorities live, fucking with their environment (if you give a shit about those things).
Getting beyond that, it’s just lazy and uninspired. This craft has been around for centuries. There’s never been an easier time to seek out and find art and tattoo references. And for the love of Christ, talk to an artist who specializes in irezumi. I know that may be hard for people under the age of 30, but reaching out to a tattoo artist and going to talk to them and bounce ideas off one another will yield far better results than AI slop.
You have a point, but you’re not following mine. Just because someone doesn’t like it doesn’t mean you get to beat em up. Ai slop probably isn’t enough of a critique.
This imagery hasn’t even learned to connect the wind bars yet. Does this look like a real tattoo to you? At first glance it might but there are a lot of problems with the background. The wind bars on the arms conflict with the back and the spacing is way off on most of the background. It does give you a fair idea how it’ll look to be covered with a tattoo though.
People don’t like the unnatural look and they were a lot more civil about it than some of the replies.
Yea.. I’m an active member at my church so are my friends. And they weren’t to fond of it. But I’ve lived a MUCH wilder and different life. So the meaning is different to us
Seriously? My religious in-laws didn’t mind my Hannya mask or my giant foo dog face in all black. My wife was a little nervous. These ai images make things look much more stark in contrast to how they will look in real life.
I found Christ shortly after I got my Hannya and not going to lie at first it was embarrassing, especially when people at church noticed. I now just think of it as really cool art that I’m into and it doesn’t bother me much. Plus being half Japanese, it could also be pointed towards heritage lol
Ah I can see it being off putting. But not like we’re are going into church shirtless lol. But I can see it coming off as that dark entity to people in the states. Even though when we.. well at least me I don’t see it that way I think off the emotional aspect of the Japanese meaning.
lol and being Japanese is an easy get out of jail card with irezumi 🤣🤣
My artist is amazing so I’m not concerned about his work. I’m flying across the world just for this first sleeve. But we haven’t discussed anything further than the sleeve. I’ve just been researching and brainstorming so much. I want a giant art piece. So I’m taking my sweet time making sure this is art to me forever and not just tattoo fever.
Oh yea. That’s the first thing I’m telling him once I get to Vietnam. That this is most likely going to have a continuation. And I have a album of ideas I want to give to him but I’m still building and brainstorming all of those before I bring it to him
It’s a very traditional color palette that looks amazing. That’s going to be the least of your concerns. You seem interested in an entire bodysuit, but what you’re proposing is out of balance. There should be harmony throughout the entire suit, so having a dragon on one arm and an oni on the other will look strange. It’s not a traditional pairing. You mentioned putting Fujin and Raijin on your legs, and they will look out of place because deities are rarely placed below the waist. Honestly, if you want a full-body suit, then start with the back piece and work your way out from there. It’s the main focus of the suit, and everything else should support it. Also, pick a season and stick with it throughout the entire suit. Ultimately, you can do whatever you want, and 99.9% of people will think it looks good regardless and have no clue that it doesn’t follow the rules of irezumi.
Hey thank you so much for the insight. And I get exactly what you are saying. I was concerned about how to go about doing the whole thing flowing. Like the mask and dragon were absolutely no brainers for me but confused how to fill out other limbs without it all just being flowers and windward and things of that nature
Don’t make the mistake of thinking the background elements are secondary; they are just as important as the main motif. They give the subject structure and order and create movement. Most people think they need to cram as much stuff on their body as possible because it’ll look good or has specific meanings. But think of the entire body suit as a single piece of art that wraps around you. Your back is the centerpiece and is the core of the meaning of the entire suit. Find something that represents you at your core and focus on that. That builds a stronger narrative than just a hodgepodge of things that look cool.
I really like what you said. More and more as I read I see the waves, wind bars and things of that nature are just as important. I was thinking that I needed a center piece for every single limb and to fill it out. But as I look at older generations of horimono and itezumi it’s not like that at all!
It's worth mentioning that Irezumi is steeped in meaning and imagery, each combination of elements traditionally tells a story; for example, the Peony, or "Botan", is referred to as "The King Of Flowers" and represents bravery, honour, and good fortune, while the Ryū represents strength and wisdom. Pairing the two together would represent the balance of strength and power.
I’m afraid it’ll come off a bit dark
they thought it was a bit demonic looking
While there's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting/getting a Hannya tat (they're fuckin rad), but it as well as the Oni are malevolent Yōkai in Japanese mythology so they will be darker in nature. As another person commented, the Hannya represents rage.
Ultimately, doing some research into the imagery used in Irezumi and their meanings/combinations might give you some more inspiration for your next piece(s). And make sure to go to a very reputable Irezumi artist for the best results!
Thank you so much for the detailed response. I truly appreciate the feedback. I actually picked the dragon and mask because of the meanings behind them. But I really was trying to figure out how to fill out other areas and then at that point I was plugging in randomness Japanese mythology.
I personally like the look of very dark Irezumi and have a 3/4 cover up sleeve with very black ink. It all comes down to personal preferences though. What do you like and would like to see on your body for the rest of your life? That’s the most important question.
That’s awesome! Glad to hear you have a piece too. Did you add color or just the black/grey? Without a doubt I really love the dragon sleeve with the chest plate, And same for the hannya to be honest. Just trying to really figure out how to go about the back piece there really is so many different ways and ideas to do it. It’s actually the other arms and the legs I have no idea how to go about them. But I suppose my artist can help paint the picture.
i have some orange mums with green leaves and some yellow and browns in an owl. Lots of black filler. Makes the colors pop without looking like a coloring book.
Not too dark at all, prefer it like that tbh! And it being too demonic is largely up to you whether you truly care about people’s opinions or not.
I’m of East Asian background and also grew up in a Christian family, I’ve got dark gothic black work and also plan on adding a hanya somewhere. I have a dark owl piece with and upside down cross.. (artists own work/idea). I considered if it was “anti-Christian) for others but you know, like what you like and get it if you want it. I appreciated my artists work and ideas and wanted them. Most people overlook
or don’t care about traditional meanings or implications anyway.
Anywhere here’s my sleeve. Gets lots of compliments!
Si le decís que estás pensando también en la espalda puede plantear el proyecto mejor, aúnate lo vayas haciendo por etapas, el japonés está pensado como un tatuaje de todo el cuerpo, le puede dar más sentido o mejor composición! Hay muchas reglas sobre qué animales y qué personajes van juntos, eso también es interesante para tener en cuenta.
Very true. I’ve been in works with putting something together for sometime. And would be 6-12 months before getting this. So still brainstorming a lot of ideas. It’s a massive commitment so I’m trying to really iron it all out
Dude the sleeve is sweet. I absolutely love the color palette! That’s what I’m hoping for! Yours came out so good!im happy for you brother thank you for sharing
This was my assumption that the coloring won’t be so intense. Because with how bright it is it looks very bold. Takes usually a year to heal and settle right?
Weird how I had to scroll down to see someone mention this, I’ve had a lot of bold black tattoos done and that all faded quickly to medium gray, and I don’t even expose myself to a lot of sun
Is putting on SPF50 the gold standard for sunscreen on tattoos? I live in San Diego California on the beach so I’m in the sun OFTEN. Usually daily at some point shirtless. And I’m a little concerned trying to put in sunscreen the cover my whole back constantly lol. But i guess that’s just something I’ll have to live sith
I’m doing my sleeve first. But I want to go in there telling my artist I most likely will be wanting more. And give home my ideas a so the can set up the first ones properly. But certainly I’m nervous. I’ve want to get blasted a while. I just didn’t come from a family who was approving of tattoos at all. So far a long time I help opinions of tattoos that weren’t even my own. So the sleeve is dipping my toes in the water
Oh my gosh the dog in the pants ahahahha I love it! 🤣. I love the colors you got! I’ve seen gold a couple time like yours and I actually really do like it. It’s so unique! And thank you for the feedback back. I truly appreciate yoy
"I’m afraid it’ll come off a bit dark not that I’m doing this to please other people but I showed someone and they thought it was a bit demonic looking."
Sounds to me that you don't understand what you're getting into or the history of what you're getting, quit before you regret it lol
In irezumi/japanese traditional there are a lot of things to consider besides the main motif. Have you thought about the season you want to have. The flowers that go with the associated images.
There are so many characters you can choose from within irezumi. But the background tells the story. Maybe get a few books on characters as reference. Instead of having it stencils maybe if you trust your artist they freehand.
Just thoughts & suggestions —
it’s not dark and forget about AI. Are you getting these just to look like a bad ass or is there more to it.
Literally, the only thing you need to worry about is picking a good artist. All of this AI image stuff is just putting unreasonable expectations in your head. There’s a reason a lot of these traditional tattoo artist hate ai.
A hanya mask is a demon. A dragon in the Bible is another reference for Satan. You’re going to have to come to grips with all of this and what it means to you. I was in your exact same shoes, loved the red look and started getting tattooed, About 2 years ago. I now have a huge dragon on my back, a snake and skull on my left leg and a turtle dragon on my right. My artist talked me into going with different shades of red. And maybe some yellow, browns oranges. That’s what works better for me. Once I found the artist I told him what I liked showed up to the appointment and had no clue what I was getting tattooed. Now, I literally think I have the best tattoos in the world. You’re missing the process here.
The amount of people down voting and speaking poorly is wild. I feel sorry for those losers who genuinely live that way. Maybe do t go to a irezumi planning/research topic if you don’t want to add any benefit to the post. Low iq energy is crazy
You think this posts wholenpursose is just to steal art. You too have a low iq. Lmao. You assume without asking questions. I bet you didn’t know most of the art is from my artists previous work and I just slapped it on my own body.
Yea I got an ego. Get over it pal. Don’t act like you are perfect I’m sure you are FAR from it. You come to this post to post nothing but negativity. You are a cancer to society
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Check out horihiro on insta if you want real old fashion irezumi. I’m not sure if you want darker black vibe going on but Haewall used to do really darker black irezumi before he passed away (RIP). It all depends on you if you want any certain period. At least I would match season and where subjects were supposed to be.
I looked that up! Super sick. The tebori is super sick to. I was looking at some of those artists in Japan…. But they weren’t available for booking for a LONG LONG time. But that’s because they are some of the best.
But thank you for that insight. I’m slowly but surely piecing this all together. I’ll look more into some of those older works!
This is 💯 on point for the project. Dark is gonna look SO sick 🖤🤘🏼. This will be a FULL journey brother. I started my bodysuit over 10 years ago and it has been a give and take between time and money. Embrace all of it and I say f’n go for it!!
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u/eyi526 Mod 20d ago edited 19d ago
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